Persian blenny

Fire goby

Copperband butterflyfish

Sunburst butterflyfish

Elegant firefish

Spotted surgeonfish

Matted Filefish

Longnose hawkfish

Royal gramma

Bluestripe pipefish

Razorfish

Splendid garden eel

Spotted garden eel

Pacific Cleaner Shrimp

Banded coral shrimp

Hingebeak shrimp

Spotted garden eel

Facts

Latin

Heteroconger hassi

Size

40 cm

Food

Zooplankton

Habitat

Sand bottom

IUCN

Not evaluated

Location

Western Pacific Ocean

Map

Many together

The spotted garden eel lives in colonies. It burrows its tail deep into the sandy bottom and extends its body and head out of the burrow. At a distance, the colony looks like an area dense with seagrass swaying in the water. Thousands of eels can live in one colony.

Builds burrows

The spotted garden eel digs a burrow into the sandy bottom using its pointy, rigid tail. Using slime from their skin, they cement the walls of their burrows to stabilise them and prevent cave-ins.

Life in a burrow

The spotted garden eel rarely leaves its burrow. When it wants to feed, it extends itself upward and catches the zooplankton that drift by with the underwater current. If it is in danger, the spotted garden eel disappears back into its burrow.

Fights for females

When mating season begins, males and females move their burrows closer together. Once a male picks a female to mate with, he defends her, keeping other males away.